Seraphim

Gilbert can't remember when they got into the enemy's trap. He notices the familiar faces of Nova's parents but quickly assumes that they belong to this world. Even if it's all a dream, seeing your close ones alive and well has always been something he hoped for despite the facts.

Putting the reunion aside, they only need to find Evaline before finding a way out. However, Evaline herself has come to them on her own. She already learned that this world is a dream. With everyone gathered, they discuss how to escape the place.

"This place is almost endless, where would the exit be?"

"I don't think there's even an exit available."

"Which means we must somehow defeat the enemy from the inside to escape."

"Well, any way to defeat whoever they are?"

"No idea."

"Let's just get going."

They move on when suddenly, the sky in the dream world turns black as a city emerge out of nowhere. Yet, no civilians are seen. Entering the city, they find themselves surrounded by an army of street thugs. Among them is a person wearing a pumpkin helmet, he refers to himself as Fearow. He reveals that they are trapped here because of the gas they inhaled when he caught up to them.

He also calls himself an envoy of a guardian and possesses an ability dubbed Nap Nest, which traps his opponents into the dream world where he's the one with the advantages. In other words, escaping from the place will proof quite the challenge, if not impossible.

They all know that there is no way around this. Hence they have to prepare themselves for the worst to happened. The thug army charge forward, Nova could use her power again thanks to escaping her nightmare. With that, Chella and her friends fight with their best.

Chella fights like she usually does with her self-taught martial arts, a coverup for the lack of combat prowess her Apex ability has. Nova and Evaline's abilities are more suited for direct combat, they both are familiar with them as well. Gilbert is supported by the remnants of Nova's parents.

This doesn't sit well with Fearow, he suspects that someone must be intercepting his control over the dream world. He decides to join the battle royal himself as he morphs into a T-Rex. Evaline notices the ground rumbling as something huge is approaching them. The battle has shifted into it's next phase.

Nova tries to dealt some damage to the monstrous thing but it doesn't seem to work. It breathes out a huge fire blast, Evaline shields her by conjuring crystal walls. The thing does not stop there however, it launches its tail like a whip and knocks them all away. The situation isn't favorable so they run somewhere.

In one of the empty buildings, they are able to evade the enemy's line of sight. It is tough to fight someone possessing total control over the world. If they don't overcome the immediate challenge, they will ne stuck forever and unable to complete the journey.

"Guys, we can't let ourselves be oppressed forever. That thing must had a weakness of its own."

"But its attacks are fierce whereas ours are ineffective."

"You can't expect to deal physical damage to a dream demon... That's it! What if we try to damage the mind instead of the body?"

"But none of us could deal metal damage, you aren't even an Apex, Grandpa. Oh right, Chella's a telepath. Maybe she could use whatever attack she did back then."

"She could do that?"

"That probably wasn't me though, I was unconscious the whole time."

"Then what could it be?"

"Nevermind that, please try to do it again or else we'll be done for."

Chella is unsure if she could enter the so-called autopilot state again. The moment she tries to dwell into her very own mind, her head feels heavy. However, without any choice given the circumstance, she tries to endure it. She faints as Nova catches her body, believing that she's exhausted.

The rampaging monstrosity soon tears apart the building they're hiding. Evaline prays for her parents to protect them while Gilbert covers them. The enemy readies to deliver one final outburst to ensure its victory, when suddenly...

The T-Rex can't move its body even with intense struggle, then some impactful wave of nothingness overwhelms its mind. Its roar becomes seemingly more eerie as the agony fills its head. The T-Rex falls off to the ground and dies.

With its ruler dead, the domain begins to crumble. The group's bodies slowly disintegrate into thin air as they are about to wake up. Nova decides to give her parents one last farewell, knowing it will be the last time she can meet them. She wakes up along with Gilbert and Evaline only to find out they're tied up in a chamber. At the same time, Nova notices that Chella's awake but her eyes are unexpectedly red instead of the usual dark green. She stands on her own and Nova feels a senses of dread.

A guard comes in to check them after being notified that his boss dies on bed after screaming like crazy. He even receives an order to shoot the captives if they move. Chella with her reddened eyes, raises her head and stares at the guard. He immediately collapse on the ground without uttering a sound. To the others's surprise, the guard stands up and uncuffs them. With an unexpressive face, Chella walks out with the guard following her.

The others follow right behind but none of them has a nerve to say a word to her. A bunch of guardsmen point their guns at them and tell them to stop but they suddenly feel pain in the head and go silent. With that, Chella and CO are protected by the guards as the other arriving men are taken down by their comrades, one by one.

The group escape with ease and even have more food stocked into the Omega-Driller. Nova opens her mouth, trying to conversate with Chella to break the ice.

"Chella... no, you aren't her. Who are you and what have you done to my friend?"

"Is that how you treat the person that just saved your skinny flesh? You may call me... Seraphim."

"Where's Chella?"

"She's resting after trying to hard to reach the place where I was locked."

"Locked?"

"You were inside her mind all this time?"

"Why yes. I never expected to be summoned again after the brief rescue. You people must be important to her if she needed me that badly. Now if you excuse me, my job is done and I shall return to my...home."

"Wait! There's so much we need to know!"

"It will all be revealed in due time."

Before Nova could say anything more, the red color of Chella's eyes fades and is replaced with the familiar dark green. The real Chella eventually regains consciousness and is greeted by her fellow companions. They are all happy to see her safe and sound, aside from that she also notices a bunch of corpses lying around. Evaline tells her everything after she fainted and even about the existence of the mysterious Seraphim. This shocks Chella due to never expecting someone to be stuck inside her.

Now she wonders how much Seraphim knows about herself and her past. Perhaps one day, the two of them can confront each other and have a talk about it. But for the moment, they must move on, regardless of the potential dangers in the upcoming days. Because they're all tired, Bit will drive the vehicle as an autopilot function.

They rest for hours, night soon falls as they arrive at a restaurant where people hang out as well as gather intel. Even though there's the potential of bandits rampaging around, somehow people can still relax and enjoy their time. Perhaps the place secretly has some defense system that guarantees death of any troublemaker.

Chella and her companions decide to eat something different for once. The food served here also use artificial materials like anywhere else but the quality is what makes this place good for dining. Looking at the menu after taking a seat, the list contains food that had existed since the old times, though they were more naturally made. Each of them order their own pick from the menu and the waiter notifies the chef of new orders.

Evaline breaks the ice by asking Nova about her parents which is a sensitive matter to her, but after all that she is comfortable to open about it. Nova once blamed herself for their demise but remembering how much they loved her, she has learned to cast such thought aside and move on with her ability. Gilbert chimes in, saying that it was partially his fault for being unaware of her genetic changes despite his experience as a scientist. The grandfather and his little one hug each other as they try to comfort themselves.

Their orders arrive and everyone digs in enjoyingly, it isn't the best in the world but still better than what they usually eats. Nova can see herself addicted to eating in places like this, probably because the surface has more fresh air and eating inside a vehicle seems lame.

The moment is soon halted by the sound of footsteps carrying hostility with them. A bunch of thugs storm into the restaurant and demand to have food on their table in seconds or they will thrash the place. The waiter tells them to be patient but they throw him out of the window. A waitress shows up and tells them to stop bothering her customers, yet their eyes are fixated on her physique.

She wears a white short dress with two pockets containing napkins. She has long black hair and a pair of gray eyes. Her body is preferably slim along with medium-sized breasts and butts from the looks of it. The guys ask her to eat along with them and plan to have some fun in late night, but she prioritizes her job and asks to wait for their order. Tempted, they use brute force but an invisible force throws them out of the entrance.

At the same time, Bit notifies Chella and CO that a lost child has been detected. Which means one of the people they're searching for is right in this very restaurant. Others customers start talking among themselves, mostly about the waitress handling the thugs.

"Ah...she's at it again. They should've never done that."

"Excuse me, may I ask who is she?"

"She's our newest staff who was employed here weeks ago, said that she need to find someone. I believe her name is... Junko."